


Stress Management

by Macx



Category: Primeval
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-04
Updated: 2011-06-04
Packaged: 2017-10-20 03:15:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/208174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macx/pseuds/Macx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>what the title says...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stress Management

Pain.

Cold.

Tremors racing through his body.

His shoulder ached.

Light.

"Over here," he croaked, barely able to speak any more.

Pain. So much pain.

He blinked into the light that shivered over his body. There was someone. Looking at him. Just looking.

"Help me," he begged.

But she was just looking. Head tilted, face devoid of any emotions. Like studying a lab animal. Waiting for an experiment to end.

His vision blurred. The light was too bright, blinding him. The bite wound pulsed with every beat of his heart, shooting strings of agony through his body.

Her voice. So familiar, but still so alien. Cold. Matter-of-fact. Telling him what she wanted. Telling him to play messenger.

So much pain.

Help me, he thought faintly. Why don't you help me? Helen?

She had been a friend. More than a friend for an insane moment. She had used him, had abused his trust, his loyalty, his love. She had taken what she needed and left him.

Alone.

Pain.

It was a constant now. Stephen didn't know how long he was already lying here, shivering in the cold he felt, muscles spasmning.

Helen.

Light again. Steps. A familiar voice, a familiar touch. Calloused hands cupping his head and face. He listened to the soothing voice, the known voice, the warmth and the worry. He tried to talk, words abrupt, broken.

Helen.

She had been here. He had to tell Nick.

Breathing through the pain. Panting. Body so weak.

He could barely support himself, Nick's arms around him, helping, keeping him upright.

Helen. He panted out the words, barked them, tried to get the message to Nick before his body and mind gave out.

Pain.

More convulsions.

Nothing but pain.

Hazy memories.

And then nothing.

* * *

Stephen woke from another bad dream and exhaled softly, trying to chase the shadows away. He had had a few of those dreams lately. Not even all the new anomalies and their dangerous and fantastic creatures could replace the repeat performance of that moment.

He touched his scarred shoulder, massaging the phantom pain. The scar was uneven, larger than he would have liked it to be, and looked almost like a gun shot wound.

Stephen got out of bed, silently padding into the bathroom. He splashed water into his face, then gazed into the mirror. The scar drew his eyes, then he looked away. He felt tired, exhausted, the last hunt having been strenuous. His muscles ached and he knew he wasn't the only one feeling it. Ryan had been tossed about by their latest primeval problem and he was probably bruised from head to toe, not to mention the laceration over his eye.

He walked back out and headed for the kitchen, rooting through the fridge for something to drink. Taking a bottle of water, he twisted the cap off and took a few gulps, letting the coolness trickle through him. He pressed the cold bottle against his forehead, trying to chase the last remnants of the dream away.

Stephen wasn't surprised to hear steps not much later. There was the creak of wood as weight was settled on that one particular spot, then a presence was behind him.

"Another one?" came the quiet question.

"I'm okay, Nick."

"No, you're not. You keep having dreams about this."

Nick Cutter walked around the kitchen island to stand before him. He looked sleepy but awake, his stubble more pronounced, his hair dishevelled. Any other day Stephen would have found him kissable, but the remnants of the nightmare were still too pronounced.

"It's getting better."

Doubt played over the sleep-roughened features. Nick usually woke when Stephen had a nightmare, but he always stayed in bed, waited whether his lover went back to sleep or got up.

Nick reached out and wrapped a hand around his partner's neck, pulling him close, fingers brushing over the warm skin in a gentle massage. Stephen let himself lean against the sturdier form of the blond and closed his eyes. Those gentle fingers brushed over the scar, circling it, then Nick's lips were on the mutilated flesh, kissing it. Stephen inhaled sharply.

"Nick…"

Wet lips mouthed the scar, then trailed the kisses up his neck to the jaw, finally sealing Stephen's lips. Hart answered the soft exploration and Nick pulled him into an embrace.

"Think we can take this to bed?" Cutter murmured.

Stephen nodded and followed the older man back to their shared bedroom. It was Nick's. It had always been Nick's. Stephen's flat still existed, mainly as cover, but most nights he was with Stephen. His clothes were in the closet, his laundry in the hamper, his toothbrush in the bathroom. He had lived here for years now. It was… nice. It was comfortable.

Slipping into bed, Nick pulled Hart close, one hand running over the naked back. It was a warm night, but not too hot. Nick nuzzled Stephen's throat, then lightly bit one of the other man's sensitive spots. It got him a sleepy murmur and Nick smiled. He kept stroking, caressing, nuzzling, until Stephen relaxed completely.

Nick knew of his lover's nightmares, the source, the pain. They had talked about it before, he had listened to Stephen's recollection of what he remembered. He couldn't do more than be there for him when things got bad, offer an open ear or just a shoulder to lean on. The anomalies were a distraction throughout the day, but Helen's return had only triggered the dreams once more.

Stephen couldn't forgive his wife for what she had done – or refused to do. She had stood by, watched Stephen suffer through convulsions of pain, and she had done nothing to help. She had relied on Nick finding the other man.

What if they hadn't come down in time?

What if the centipede had injected so much poison that Hart had died.

Nick didn't want to think about it, but sometimes he did.

"Love you," he whispered into the unruly strands tickling his nose.

Stephen was asleep.

Nick smiled and closed his eyes, relaxing, enjoying the closeness. Tomorrow he had to go and talk to Lester about their latest anomaly and he also wanted to know how Ryan was. The man had taken quite a few punches.

With that on his mind, he drifted off, hoping that Stephen would sleep dreamlessly or, if not, have a nice one.

* * *

Stephen woke way into the next morning, the sun already up, and he felt a gentle caress over his back.

"Hmmm.... nice," Stephen mumbled, pulling him closer.

"Coffee?" Nick offered.

Stephen snuggled closer.

"Not that I object to bed," Cutter added, smiling. "But you're missing coffee then."

"Oh well...." Nick made good coffee.

"And breakfast."

"Breakfast in bed?"

Nick chuckled, a soft sound against his skin. His arms tightened around Stephen's waist. "Won't last very long."

Stephen grinned. "Then I might want seconds...."

Cutter pushed himself up on his elbows, smiling. "You are insatiable."

"With you, always," Stephen told him, trailing his fingers over the smooth skin.

Nick captured the teasing fingers, entwining his with Stephen's, kissing his lover.

"Shower, breakfast," he murmured against Hart's lips.

"And then?"

"We'll see."

"Shower's large enough for two," Stephen offered.

Nick laughed softly, pulling him up as he rose. "At this rate, you'll wear me out before noon."

"Yeah, right," Stephen snorted. "Tell me another one."

After last night, it was good to feel this normalcy, to have Nick with him, no monsters calling them away. The appointment with Lester was in the afternoon and the morning belonged to them. To chase away the bad dreams.

Another kiss, this time to an exposed shoulder, had him hum in delight. "Go shower, Stephen," Nick murmured.

Reluctantly, Stephen climbed out of the comfortable bed and padded over to the bathroom, naked as he was. Nick watched him with a predatory look and Hart gave him a inviting grin. With a last teasing offer, he entered the bathroom.  
   
 

Nick felt something inside of him stir strongly as he watched the naked, slender form disappear in the bathroom. He inhaled deeply, trying to fight down the urge to run after Stephen and just take him there and then. The younger man had that effect on him, doubly now that their time together was cut short and danger was a daily companion.

Damnit! Emotions surged wildly and his body betrayed his logical mind. He wanted this man; now...!

His erection was pushing against his pajama pants. He had woken with a hard-on and just looking at Stephen had only fired up that urge even more.

He found himself next to the bathroom door before he even realized what he had done. Cutter pushed the door open, his eyes drawn to the tanned, lithe form in the shower stall. Water cascaded down the sinewy body. Good god, Stephen looked delicious. His hand flew to his arousal, stroking himself lightly.

Nick still wondered what Stephen saw in him. Hart was handsome, smart, funny… very, very attractive. Many of his female students had given the lab assistant a closer look, flirting openly, and even one or two men had looked at him that way. Nick wasn't prone to fits of jealousy and he knew Stephen was exclusive. But why him?

He had never gotten a real answer. Just a smile, those eyes lighting up, a deep kiss and an 'idiot' on top of that. Stephen found him attractive. Had been with him five years.

Fisting himself, Nick finally gave up on control. Damn control all the way to hell. He pushed the shower open and stepped inside, ignoring his still clothed state.

"Aren't you a bit overdressed?"

Stephen looked at him, a predatory expression in his eyes that told Nick he had been expected. So Hart knew him all too well already. He didn't care. He pushed the other man against the tiled wall, hungrily claiming his lips. Stephen's fingers curled into his wet shirt, pulling him closer, bracing himself against the shower. With a swift move, the younger man whirled them around and Nick found himself against the wall, his lover devouring him. He growled, blindly reaching for the faucet and turning off the warm water. His pants were swiftly pulled down and he closed his eyes, his head falling back, as Stephen attacked his hardness, kneeling in front of him, thoroughly wet.

That mouth was incredible, the tongue finding his sensitive spot, underneath, just behind the head, and Nick moaned softly.

"Gawd, Stephen…"

Long fingers caressed his hips and thighs, skipped over the sensitive arousal, then slipped around his ass. Nick gave a yell of pleasure as those fingers pushed inside him. They were slippery and he dimly wondered about the presence of lube, then forgot all about it as Stephen worked those fingers and with them the magic.

Nick was close. Very close. He had been aroused already and it didn't really take much more than the suction, the slight scrape of teeth that was just that side of real pain, and the hand that was fondling his balls.

With a deep groan he went over the edge. He sank down the wet walls, sliding his arms around the naked man, kissing him. God, he tasted so good.

"Bed would have been more comfy," Stephen murmured, licking at some water.

"Hrm-mh," Nick agreed lazily. "Coffee?" he offered.

"Sounds great," Stephen answered just as lazily.

They cleaned up, Nick stripping out of the wet clothes and dumping them near the laundry machine. Stephen watched him with a slow grin, shrugging into a dry shirt and pants. Nick shot him a smile and did the same.

"Coffee," he only said.

"Spoilsport," came the husky reply.

Neither was ready for another round, but the teasing was just as much fun. Nick flicked a wet strand of hair out of Stephen's forehead, smiling at the expression in the blue eyes.

"Love you," he murmured into one ear.

Stephen smiled, a warm, happy smile.

And I'll never let you go, Nick vowed. Whatever happens.


End file.
